(CNN) – Europeans, like myself, probably had no clue this union of countries was even in the running for the Nobel Peace Prize especially given the current crisis over stabilizing the Euro and European economies.

Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, praised the award and said, “Even in tense, difficult times, the European Union remains an inspiration for countries and people all over the world.”
So this playlist includes some stories that relate to Europe's history.

This is a powerful piece from the NPR program Snap Judgement.

To many the European Union is a little bit of a mystery, so we found this story from the Deutsche Welle radioshow Inside Europe, which is trying to Make Sense of the European Union.

And finally, to celebrate the close connection between Europe and the U.S., especially when it comes to business, we were surprised by this story from NPR's All Things Considered. A farmer in South Georgia raises alligators to supply the European fashion industry.

We hope you will enjoy our selection even if you are not a Nobel Peace Prize winner. There's always next year.– The CNN Radio team